Advanced search operators are query words or symbols that perform special actions in Gmail search. These operators allow you to find what you’re looking for quickly and accurately. They can also be used to set up filters so you can organize your inbox automatically.

The full list can be found on the Gmail Help Center:

Some of the most useful operators are listed below.

from:

Used to specify the sender.

Example:

  • from:amy - messages from Amy

to:

Used to specify a recipient.

Example:

  • to:david - messages that were sent to David (by you or someone else)

subject:

Search for words in the subject line.

Example:

  • subject:dinner - messages that have the word “dinner” in the subject

OR

Search for messages matching term A or term B.

Note:

  • OR must be in all caps.

Example:

  • from:amy OR from:david - messages from Amy or from David

label:

Search for messages by label.

Example:

  • from:amy label:friends - messages from Amy that have the label “friends”
  • from:david label:my-family - messages from David that have the label “My Family”

- (hyphen)

Used to exclude messages from your search.

Example:

  • dinner -movie - messages that contain the word “dinner” but do not contain the word “movie”

” “ (quotes)

Used to search for an exact phrase.

Note:

  • capitalization isn’t taken into consideration

Example:

  • "i'm feeling lucky" - messages containing the phrase “i’m feeling lucky” or “I’m feeling lucky”
  • subject:"dinner and a movie" - messages containing the phrase “dinner and a movie” in the subject

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